Jan 14th, 2024 Sunday Sunny but cold
Our sweetest angel, Lyn, returned to Meow star at the end of November. We hope she had a wonderful journey on earth, and she will have fond memories of years with us.
Ever since Lyn’s departure, my husband has been longing for some little balls of fur in the household. While I would be okay with adopting a more mature cat, at least one year old, he wants to have some playful kittens around causing trouble and receiving love as well as important education from us.
“We should start looking for kittens once we come back from holiday travels.” he said.
I agreed, though I was secretly hoping to wait till March/April, when the kitten season kicks off. Not only will there be more options, but they would also be cheaper (or even free) because shelters and humane societies tend to be overwhelmed with these cuties and want them to go home as soon as possible.
So when he booked an appointment with a humane society for yesterday afternoon, I was hesitant. Of course I am never opposed to go look at and play with kitties AT ANY TIME, but it would be a long drive (about 50 minutes), and the road conditions were harsher right after the snowstorm. Knowing my husband’s disposition, I expected a very high chance of bringing home some kittens, though I did not feel ready.
I related my concerns and feelings to him. My biggest reservation was that IF we adopted a pair of kittens NOW, we would not be able to adopt other, potentially cuter kittens later, probably at a lower cost. You may call this “buyer’s remorse”.
By this logic, he argued, we would NEVER adopt the kittens, since there could always be a better deal later. We could keep waiting and miss out on the fun time that we could be spending bonding with our kittens.
Despite his pretense that we do not have to find a kitten if there is none that we like (and he would not be disappointed or grumpy), nobody could resist the charm of healthy playful kittens (I used to work as a cat caretaker volunteer for this organization so I witnessed people falling in love with kittens every day).
Soon enough, we met a rambunctious female kitten, roughly five months old, with seemingly endless energy and curiosity about the environment (she played non-stop when we were in the community room with her). My husband was amazed by her unusual pattern (a mix of brown tabby, gray tabby, and tortoiseshell), and I quickly warmed up to her adventurous personality even though her physical appearance looked funny to me.
Determined to be this girl’s daddy yet worried about her capability to turn our house upside-down if left alone, we visited another three-month-old male kitten, a very photogenic gray tabby. I liked his adorable face from the picture online, but discouraged by his disinterest in me, not sure how this relationship would go. However, when we came back to his room after he was done playing, I picked him up and let him curl in my arms, to which he showed no sign of stress or protest ? His characteristic and style would balance well with the other girl cat, and they definitely benefit from each other’s company.
Welcome home, kittens!